Briefing Paper

Physical security can be very complex, as the evolution of technology changes on a daily basis. The dual role concept is a dilemma that poses a constant struggle within the agency. The ability to maintain consistency with technological advancements utilizing physical security practices of the past is a significant challenge that FPS faces. Another area of concern is the complexity of security and the deficiency of training. Advancements in technology necessitate training advancements. From the initial understanding of basic alarm theory covering the simplistic concept and design of an intrusion detection system (IDS), to a system that is virtually state of the art in capability and technical

Intelligence and Warning is Border and Transportation Security is responsible for protecting America's borders, territorial waters, and transportation systems by centralizing information-sharing and databases that track and monitor all aspects of border control and America's transportation systems. Domestic Counterterrorism covers a wide variety of activities, ranging from National Security Agency monitoring of telephone conversations to local police monitoring of persons of interest. Protecting Critical Infrastructure and Key Assets identifies a clear set of national goals and objectives and outlines the guiding principles that will underpin our efforts to secure the infrastructures and assets vital to our national security, governance, public health and safety, economy, and public confidence. Defending against Catastrophic Threats reduces vulnerability of the United States to terrorism. Emergency Preparedness and Response will create one emergency response plan to be used at all levels of government and will ensure that first-responders, from the federal government level down to local levels, receive proper training and equipment.

Employees must be trained to security policy and procedures with periodic assessments on the effectiveness of these policies and procedures. Physical and authorized access is required to be limited. Policies should include proper use of and access to workstations and electronic media as well as the transfer, removal, disposal,

Through the history of aviation the importance of airport security has steadily increased. Since the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001, many changes have taken place at airports to prevent such an attack from occurring again. The purpose of this paper is to: outline airport security procedures, discuss the different technologies involved with airport security, as well as examine the components of airport security. In addition I will also discuss the Transportation Security Administration’s role in our nation’s airport security.

It is essential to understand America’s critical infrastructure and key resources (CIKR) and National Infrastructure Protection Program (NIPP) to ensure survivability of its critical assets, while maintaining security for America. “The plans are carried out in practice by an integrated network of Federal departments and agencies, State and local government agencies, private sector entities, and a growing number of regional consortia (DHS, 2009, p. I).” Several agencies work together to mitigate attacks on CIKR to protect public safety and security of the nation. A terrorist may stop at nothing to carry out an attack on CIKR. If an attack or natural disaster does transpire, each agency working together to restore the damage must be timely. Additionally, NIPP helps to identify hazards associated with the various sectors, and provides necessary security measures to harden resources (DHS,

Since the attack of 9/11, many transit agencies have increased security measures and have taken multiple steps to improve security for all individuals involved in any travel system. Although many improvements have been made, such as traditional

During the course of this paper I will be evaluating the U.S security since 9/11, evaluating their ability to be resilient and evaluating how much progress has been done since 9/11. So you might ask, what is resilience? Resilience is defined as the ability to undergo obstacles and negative situations; and within that, overcome and recover. Prior to 9/11, there were several practices which were acceptable in our transportation system but today are no longer; let’s take a look at a few;

Bellavita Christopher is the Director of Programs for the Naval Postgraduate School’s Center for Homeland Defense and Security. Also, from 1998 to 2002, he was the planning coordinator for the Utah Olympic Public Safety Command. The author focuses on the fact that homeland security faces a variety of threats. Many factors such as the economy, weapons of mass destruction and a lack of moral compass pose potential challenges to homeland security (Bellavita, 2009). The terrorist attacks such as the one in Mumbai, the economic meltdown, the disaster on the borders remain potential malefactors to the U. S. homeland. And to no surprise, the threats are gradually transforming into a more complex tactics. Bellavita takes aim towards a realistic assessment

The defense, security, and safety American citizens enjoy each and every day is a result of dedicated professionals committed to Homeland Security and Homeland Defense. These broad initiatives require well-defined missions, organized and focused tasking, and finally, clearly understood duties, responsibilities, and operations. Organizations charged with these responsibilities must be better resourced than those of the enemy. Success in each of these objectives requires a well-organized infrastructure with clear mission sets. The afore mentioned areas of responsibility, related planning, and resource/personnel management are fluid (rightfully so) and are constantly reevaluated, restructured, and/or reinforced to best counterattack our Nation’s vulnerabilities before they become casualties.

A department with a task of these magnitude as keeping the country safe from natural disasters and terrorism and over 200,000 employees involved is bound to suffer some kind of criticism. The Department of Homeland Security, in this case is no exception. In an article presented by Terris, in 2007, it ranked last among 36 departments and agencies surveyed in job satisfaction. In 2008, Congress found that DHS was responsible for about $15 billion in failed contracts. And with a fiscal 2010 annual budget of about $55 billion, there were always questions about whether the money was being well spent (Terris, 2011). Because the department is so big and has a lot to cover considering its many complex arrangements it has struggled tremendously over the past couple of years in prioritizing what to focus in.

In this research paper, I am going to discuss the plan that the Department of Homeland Security has set forth for the years of 2012-2016. This plan outlines the entire vision of the department to essentially accomplish their missions and goals. The plan consists of missions varying from border security to cyber security. We must not forget the men and women on the front line working hard to ultimately secure and provide safety for the United States of America.

September 11th terrorist attack the U.S., and we were forced to watch as they used airplanes to crash into the World Trade Centers in New York City. First responders and other rescue organizations were thrust into immediate action, and were very confused because they did not know how bad the situation was with the communications and disorganization of some of our government agencies. The horror of watching the WTC crashing down was shocking. We suffered a massive loss of life, so within this paper we will try to understand all the things that interfered with public safety’s responding to the crisis that day. This report will examine the types of programs that were carried out to help these organizations with communication and cooperation issues that could create a problem within these agencies across the board internally and externally, and discuss the different types of programs that were carried out after 9/11 to help LEOs and other organizations. These issues need to be discussed because without cooperation the leaders of these organizations are thrust into the limelight and deem as self-serving. Therefore, it is beneficial for everyone to find ways to deter terrorism, but that cannot happen if they do not cooperate. The FBI and the CIA are the main agencies that need to fix this issue, and make organizational changes, and it would behoove us to move past 9/11, and examine all the things that went wrong and fix them for the greater good of society.

“We have learned as a Nation that we must maintain a constant, capable, and vigilant posture to protect ourselves against new threats and evolving hazards. But we have also learned that vigilance and protection are not ends in and of themselves, but rather necessary tools in the service of our national purpose.”(Napolitano, 2010, p.iv) In the wake of the September 11th, 2001 attacks our nation has taken upon itself extreme vigilance to ensure the security and defense of the American people. The relationship between homeland security and homeland defense is one that is tightly knit. Each has a very distinct mission set but somewhere along the spectrum they cross over and mutually support each other in the best interest of the nation.

The American Society for Industrial Security (ASIS) is today’s main association of private security. The year of 1955 is considered the beginning of the modern age of security. Private security was needed everywhere, in hospitals, hotels, retail etc… as stated in (chapter 2, P.38) that ‘’ Retail establishments, hotels, restaurants, theaters, warehouses, trucking companies, industrial companies, hospitals, and other institutional and service functions were all growing and facing a serious need to protect their property and personnel’’. After the events of 9/11, private security agencies were required to play more roles in crime prevention. Private security agencies were required to review and standardize their method of training and to review the pay of employees. Lot of recommendations have been made to improve the education and training, above all the extension of training time.

Airport security is necessary for the safety and efficiency of airlines today. Attacks involving airlines have been “among the deadliest in terms of human lives and economic impact,” even though relatively few attacks have occurred using airlines compared to other terrorism methods (Szyliowicz, 2011, p.2). Airport Security has been administered using a government-operated system since the Aviation and Transportation Security Act was enacted in 2001. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), now an agency of homeland security, replaced private security measures and personnel with at least 60,000 federal employees (Szyliowicz, 2011). However, privatization may be making a come-back. The following analysis will analyze